SALMON P CHASE While we celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday this year, there is yet another Chase, Salmon Portland Chase, who bears recognition. These two men worked closely during Lincoln's presidential term. Close they were but at odds. Salmon P. came from the Cornish, New Hampshire Chase families. He, one of ten children was born 13 January 1808 to Ithamar and Janet (Ralston) Chase). Ithamar was rather well to do for a time and deemed the richest man in Cornish at the time his marriage. Salmon’s father built what is currently the Chase House Bed and Breakfast on Rt. 12 A in Cornish. (photo available) Hard times came upon the family and at the death of Salmon P’s father in 1817; they were living in Keene, New Hampshire. Salmon P. attended schools in Keen, NH and Windsor, Vermont, until his mother thought that “Uncle Philander” would have some fatherly influence upon and he could get a proper education. Before Philander Chase became Episcopal bishop of Ohio, he operated a school in that state. Salmon spent two years in Ohio with his uncle, going to school and working on the bishop’s farm. The impression one gets from the various accountings of the Chase history, Salmon did not like it very much, mainly because the hard work. There is an often told tale of what Salmon did one time to his uncle. He was instructed by Philander to butcher one of the farm pigs, which he did. However, he could not get the bristles off, even with the scalding in hot water. So either in desperation or to pull a trick on Philander, Salmon used his uncle’s razors and shaved the pig up as smooth as can be! When Philander returned from errands, Salmon was congratulated on the good looking job, but when the stern disciplinarian uncle later found his razors unusable for the human face, it is easy to speculate what measures might have been imposed upon the young lad of thirteen or fourteen. Salmon P. returned to his family in Keen, New Hampshire when he was fifteen in 1823. He tried teaching school for a while, but it did not work out. His mother made arrangements for him to live with his aunt Rachel Chase Denison in Royalton, Vermont. Rachel Denison was the wife of Joseph Denison; Doc Denison. The Denisons were a well know family in Royalton, many being doctors and lawyers; at least one living in Randolph. According to Lucy Denison Elder in writing of “The Story of the Old Church” (Old Christ Church, Bethel); Royalton was a promising village with an academy famous up and down the valley. Famous or not Salmon must have received a good education a this academy and from the school previous in Ohio, as when he was fifteen or sixteen he was accepted into Dartmouth College as a junior. He graduated in 1926 and then went to Washington, D.C. to study law. Local lure gives some impression that Salmon lived for a time at his Uncle Dudley’s in Randolph Center and studied law under him, however if one follows the time line laid out by biographer John Niven in “Salmon P. Chase”, there is no note of this. Mr. Niven is editor of the papers of Salmon P. Chase. Salmon from early on kept copious notes, journals and diaries and it seems likely that Mr. Niven would have picked up if Salmon P. Chase had indeed lived with the Honorable Dudley Chase. Dudley and Salmon Chase did interact when the latter first went to Washington, D. C. Salmon asked his uncle to use his political influence to obtain him a government clerkship appointment. He refused, saying; “I once obtained an appointment for a nephew and he was ruined by it. I determined not to do that again”. Dudley then gave him fifty cents; “to buy a spade”. (I don’t think Dudley Chase was being selfish or uncaring, but was essentially telling his nephew to WORK for what he needed) Salmon managed, studied law in D. C. under Honorable William A. Wirth and was admitted to the bar in 1829. Soon after that he went to Ohio to practice law. He became a stern advocate of the plight of the slaves, defending them in court and fighting for their rights in many ways. He also wrote many anti-slavery publications. In 1849 he was elected to the US Senate and served until 1855. He then served two terms as Ohio’s governor, after which time he returned to the US Senate. At the national Republican convention, he received a few votes for president, but he ultimately lost to Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln appointed him Secretary of the US Treasury 1861. When he came into office, only a few months before the Civil War, the US Treasury was depleted, the national debt heavily increased and the credit of the government was seriously impaired. Though, he had not the training nor experience in financial affairs, Salmon Chase was given the insurmountable task of finding money to finance the war. It is said the in the “Chase Chronicles” that Chase went before the bankers in New York to obtain a huge loan. He did not agree with the banker’s terms. And so he threatened? If they did not agree with his terms, he would issue paper money. The loan was granted. In the “Seven Generations of the Descendants of Aquila and Thomas Chase”, we read that; “If you cannot loan the government, I shall go back to Washington and issue notes for circulation; for it is certain that the war must go on until the rebellion is put down, if we have to put out paper until it takes a thousand dollars to buy a breakfast”. Chase and Lincoln were very different from each other. In the areas of money, Lincoln is quoted as saying; “Money! I don’t know anything about money. I never had enough of my own to fret”. When protests came to him regarding taxes and money matters, he referred them to Secretary Chase. When Chase consulted his president about financial issues, Lincoln’s often replied; “go ahead, you understand these things, I don’t”. Social issues also drew a line between these two giants. Lincoln came from humble background with little education and social connections. Salmon P. Chase, though he had hard times, he had influence. His uncles Senator Dudley Chase and Bishop Philander Chase are the immediate ones which comes to mind. One also gets the impression that Salmon P. had a sense of “entitlement”. In person he is described as; “very dignified, fond of form, proud of intellect, tenacious of precedents (Chase stubbornness), without wit or humour” Lincoln would be described in the opposite. Perhaps they complimented each other in the tasks at hand of running the government. They worked together (for the good of the country) though often at the other ends of the spectrum in personality, attributes and opinions. Though, Salmon P. Chase did not ever become president of the United States, he did have much to do with making history. While being Secretary of the Treasury he is credited to establishing the current banking system. Lincoln appointed him Chief Justice of the United States. The item for which he is best known while holding this office was his presiding over the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson in 1868. In Salmon Portland Chase’s personal life, he suffered a great deal of grief, as his three wives and three children died. He died while still in office in 1873 .The reader may remember him by glancing at one’s ten thousand dollar bill, for that is his image on there. For those interested in more study the “Chase Chronicles are on the internet at: http://www.webnests.com/Chase/chronicles.htm Thank you Lonnie! This writer has the “Seven Generations of Aquila and Thomas Chase” “Salmon P. Chase” by John Niven. 1995 Also if you want to get at some almost original writings of Salmon P. Google has on-line a huge book; An Account of the Private Life and Public Services of Salmon Portland Chase By Robert Bruce Warden, 868 pages. I can’t get a decent URL on this now, I suppose because I’ve already “been there” and downloaded it. Harriet M. Chase, Curator of the Randolph (Vermont) Historical Society